Johnston hits the gas on Denver's $950M bond plan

Driving the news: Groundbreaking starts Thursday on the Denver Health Sam Sandos Westside Family Health Center, the mayor announced Wednesday.

• The bond package unlocks $20 million to build a new clinic in the Westside neighborhood to replace the existing one.

Zoom in: The upgraded site will broaden access to care — adding pediatric and adult primary care, dental and OB/GYN services, physical and occupational therapy, radiology and staff wellness space.

• Denver Health plans to keep the current clinic open throughout construction.
• Haselden Construction — the same firm building the Denver National Women's Soccer League team's new training center in Centennial — landed the contract, Johnston's spokesperson Jon Ewing told Axios Denver.

Zoom out: Johnston says other projects will soon follow, including infrastructure improvements at Denver's major cultural anchors such as the zoo, art museum, botanic gardens and center for the performing arts.

Between the lines: The mayor is moving fast despite a strained city workforce — roughly 800 jobs were cut this summer amid a budget crunch — a challenge that could complicate oversight and execution.

• Johnston told Axios Denver he's "very confident about our capacity to deliver," noting his team has spent the past nine months preparing the bond rollout strategy.

The intrigue: Johnston sees Tuesday's vote as a referendum on his leadership. "We view this as a vote of confidence," he said.

What's next: A public dashboard tracking the bond projects' progress is slated to launch in the first quarter of 2026.